Teen safe after vehicle goes through the pavement

A 17-year-old from Easton Township escaped injury when the roadway buckled under his vehicle as he drove along Lincoln Avenue near Strong Road around 1:15 p.m. Thursday.

He was driving a Saab 900S westbound on Lincoln when water underneath the road from Bellamy Creek caused the pavement to collapse, according to Sgt. William Hoskins of the Ionia County Sheriff's Office. By the time the driver could see what had happened to the road, he was unable to stop.

"His front tires were off the edge, and he was kind of hanging there," Hoskins said.

The driver was able to exit the vehicle and get to safety. Soon after, the rest of the road and the bridge washed out.

The Ionia Department of Public Safety provided equipment to lower an employee from R.E. Ruehs Garage and Towing into the hole to safely hook up the vehicle for towing, Hoskins said.

Also assisting with the incident were Ionia County Road Commission and Central Dispatch.

Hoskins suggested that drivers use care on the roads, especially during this period of flooding and heavy rains.

"We don't usually get this much rain. The tubes and sewers are handling more water than what they were designed for," he said. "Slow down and watch for water over the roadway."